Hispanic Heritage Month, Latinx, Latino, Latine and Latin@ Heritage Month have all been some of the terms discussed in the Jacket newsroom in preparation for our fourth issue of our 113th year.
Firstly, we acknowledge that each of these terms have different connotations and limitations. In the past, the Jacket has called this special issue the Latinx heritage month issue. However, this year we opened a dialogue with Berkeley High School students and staff in these communities on what they believe we should call this issue. This was in order to make the most thoughtful judgement when it comes to accurate, inclusive, and respectful coverage.
The results, in multiple off-the-record conversations with community members identifying as any of the terms under the umbrella, were understandably mixed. Our decision to put both Latinx and Hispanic on the front cover was born of these varying opinions.
It’s important to address the fact that many native Spanish speakers don't identify with “Latinx” due to its disconnect from the language itself — Latinx is an English term, and doesn't align well with the phonetics of Spanish. On account of the fact that it can be difficult to pronounce in Spanish, the term is criticized for being linguistically insensitive.
Yet, despite the limitations of the term Latinx, we put it on our front page because we know that it is diction that is recognizable to our readers and breaks away from the gender-binary connotations with the more traditional “Latino” terminology. In Spanish, the -o ending can refer to a group of people of mixed genders, however the default meaning can also refer to a single male. By contrast, women would be referred to with an -a ending. The -x ending in Latinx rejects these gendered connotations entirely, striving to include people across gender identities.
The decision to also name it the Hispanic heritage month issue, not just Latinx, was derived from a truly optimistic goal—to represent all students and staff. The goal of this issue is to celebrate the cultural heritage, achievements, and stories of those who identify as Hispanic and Latino/a/x. While some people may identify one way and not another, it is vital that everyone who wishes to see their culture reflected in these pages, can.
We hope that we have achieved that goal in our decision.
In unity,
The Editorial Board